The Board of Education of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Community Unit School District #5 met in regular session on Monday,, at 6:15 p.m. in the GCMS Board Room located at 307 N Sangamon Ave., Gibson City. The board was called to order by Board President Josh Johnson. Roll was called with board members Elder, Young, Swearingen, Tucker-Davis and Leonard in attendance. Also present were: Elementary School Principal Justin Kean, Middle School Principal Kyle Bielfeldt, High School Principal Chris Garard, Curriculum Director Erin Nuss, FCSEC Director Jesse McFarling, Ross Brown with the Ford County Record, GCMS Education Association President Susan Riley, School Board Secretary Lori Kristensen and District Superintendent Jeremy Darnell. Absent: Board member Whitehouse The meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance being recited by all present. Recognition of Visitors : None A motion to go into executive session was made by board member Young and seconded by board member Elder at 6:16 p.m. for the purpose of discussing matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the district including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or against legal counsel for the District to determine its validity 5ILCS 120/2(c)(1). Motion was carried by roll call, with all members present voting yes. Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular District has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the District finds that an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the closed meeting minutes. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11). Student disciplinary cases. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(9). Discussion of lawfully closed meeting minutes, whether for the purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06. 5ILCS 120/2(c)(21). Board Member Whitehouse entered Executive Session at 6:21 p.m. A motion to return to open session was made by board member Swearingen and seconded by board member Elder at 7:02 p.m. Motion carried by voice vote, with all board members present voting yes.
Action Items to Consider From Executive Session Accept Requests for: Motion to accept the resignation of Erin Kean as crossing guard at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year with thanks for service. Motion was made by board member Swearingen and seconded by board member Whitehouse. Motion carried by voice vote with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the resignation of Michelle Schultz as GCMS Middle School volleyball coach at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year with thanks for service. Motion was made by board member Swearingen and seconded by board member Leonard. Motion carried by voice vote with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the resignation of Salli Sullins as Curriculum Clerk at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 contract year with thanks for service. Motion was made by board member Whitehouse and seconded by board member Elder. Motion carried by voice vote with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the resignation of Bethany Schwieter as Middle School Science Teacher at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 contract year with thanks for service. Motion was made by board member Young and seconded by board member Tucker-Davis. Motion carried by voice vote with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the resignation of Malory Knight as Agriculture Instructor and FFA Advisor at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 contract year with thanks for service. Motion was made by board member Young and seconded by board member Elder. Motion carried by voice vote with all members present voting yes. Motion to approve Ryan Tompkins, Tim Leonard, Kara Smith and Greg Brucker as volunteer softball coaches for the 2018-2019 school year. Motion was made by board member Swearingen and seconded by board member Tucker-Davis. Motion carried by voice vote with all member present voting yes. Motion to hire Kristin Welborn as Curriculum Clerk for the 2018-2019 school year for 190 days at step 4 of the salary schedule. Motion was made by board member Whitehouse and seconded by board member Tucker-Davis. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to hire Erin Kean as the High School Office Assistant for the 2018-2019 school year for 210 days at step 5 of the salary schedule. Motion was made by board member Leonard and seconded by board member Swearingen. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes.
Motion to hire Bethany Rodrigues as an extended school year paraprofessional for the summer 2018 session. Motion was made by board member Whitehouse and seconded by board member Young. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to hire Brooke Fairfield as an extended school year paraprofessional for the summer 2018 session. Motion was made by board member Tucker-Davis and seconded by board member Young. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to hire Seeff Grauer as the High School summer school instructor for the summer 2018 session. Motion was made by board member Whitehouse and seconded by board member Tucker-Davis. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the irrevocable letter of retirement and early retirement incentive for Mary Fairfield starting with the 2018-2019 school year and ending at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year. Motion was made by board member Tucker-Davis and seconded by board member Young. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to accept the irrevocable letter of retirement for Lisa Farmer for December 31, 2020 and an annual pay increase of 4.0% per hour for hours worked on August 1 of, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Motion was made by board member Young and seconded by board member Tucker-Davis. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Motion to approve the 2018-2019 assistant principals contract for Mike Allen as presented with a change of date for the contract. Motion was made by board member Whitehouse and seconded by board member Young. Motion carried by roll call with all member present voting yes. Motion to approve the 2018-2019 assistant principals contract for Staci Lindelof as presented with a change of date for the contract. Motion was made by board member Swearingen and seconded by board member Young. Motion carried by roll call with all member present voting yes. Additional Agenda Items : None
Consent Agenda GCMS Accounts Payable bills approved were $748,773.10 Education fund $476,068.51 Building fund $50,511.42 Debt Service fund $106,382.50 Transportation fund $75,421.79 IMRF/FICA fund $27,359.79 Capital Projects fund $0.00 W/C $0.00 TORT $13,029.09 F/HLS $0.00 GCMS Payrolls approved were $401,751.31 Education fund $355,447.11 Building fund $17,425.80 Transportation fund $2,517.10 TORT $26,361.30 FCSEC Accounts Payable bills approved were $45,826.55 Education fund $43,834.51 Building fund $10.00 IMRF/FICA Fund $1,982.04 FCSEC Payrolls approved were $33,937.27 all in the Education fund Financial/treasurer's report on behalf of the GCMS District and the FCSEC, Lunch Report, the summary of investment report on behalf of the GCMS District and the FCSEC, and the destruction of executive session tapes through the end of November 2016. Approve Field Trips for: None
Approve the following donations: Amount From Designation $2,000 Anonymous Middle School Field Trips $459.21 Inter State Studios Elementary School $5,000 Anonymous High School Athletics $1,000 Jann Restaurant Inc. High School Dance Team $77.00 Falcon Wrestling Club GCMSF Wrestling $50 John and Tonya Thomas Wrestling Program $100 Jean Donovan Wrestling Approve Facility Use Agreements or Request for Use of School Kitchen/Cafeteria pending proof of insurance and all other district requirements for: None Approve the salary increments for non-certified staff for the 2018-2019 school year as presented. Approve the minutes of the GCMS Regular and Executive Session Minutes of April 16, 2018. Motion to accept the consent agenda as presented in the board packet. Motion was made by board member Young seconded by board member Leonard. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Advisory Reports: Policy : Members - Adam Elder and Miranda Leonard Second Reading of Policy 2:260, 4:40, 5:20, 5:200, 5:20E- all are regarding legal reference and language changes. Motion to accept Board Policies: 2:260, 4:40, 5:20, 5:200, 5:20E as presented. Motion was made by board member Elder seconded by board member Whitehouse. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Building, Grounds, and Transportation: Members - Steve Swearingen and Emily Tucker-Davis No Report Personnel and Finance: Members - Josh Johnson and Phil Whitehouse Board Member Whitehouse presented on the following personnel and finance issues:
2018-2019 Staffing Due to the very low registration numbers at the kindergarten level, the kindergarten will be reduced from five sections to four. A voluntary transfer will occur within the building causing only for a loss of a position through attrition. Current openings in the district include 5th grade, High School Agriculture/FFA Sponsor and 8th grade Science. The hiring of a new High School Office Assistant and Curriculum Clerk is complete. There will be an internal move for the High School Guidance Counselor position for the 2019-2020 school year. The extra-curricular openings for the 2018-2019 school year include: crossing guard, JV girls basketball coach and 7th grade girls volleyball coach. 2018-2019 Salary Adjustments Salary schedules for office personnel, custodial and kitchen personnel have been established. Salary increases for staff not in a salary schedule position include: Unit Office Manager 4.5%, Food Service Manager 4%, Maintenance Director 4.9%, Elementary Principal 1.3%, and Superintendent 3%. The two other Unit Office positions and all other Administrators are currently in a three year salary contract. 2017-2018 Budget Status Board member Whitehouse reported 83.33% of the fiscal year is complete as of April 30, 2018. 94.31% of revenue has been received with $720,716 remaining. 80.49% of expense budget has been used with $2,632,000 remaining. Assuming additional revenue is received and spending is level, the district will end in a surplus. Strategy and Enrichment: Members Tyler Young and Josh Johnson No Report Principal's Reports: High School Principal, Chris Garard Enrollment Freshman - 76 Sophomores - 83 Juniors - 76 Seniors - 66 Total: 301 students Student of the Month is Senior Bailey Salyards Building Administration Reports:
Senior Plans 3 seniors will enter the military (1 in the Air Force, and 2 in the Army) 5 seniors will enter the workforce 1 senior is currently undecided 58 will attend a university or college 22 attending four year school 31 attending community college 1 senior will be going through Parkland Pathways Program 2 plan on attending college but are undecided as to which one 3 senior will be attending a trade school program Type of Higher Education 29 will be attending Parkland College (Including Pathways) 8 will be attending an out of state university/college (Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky are the most attended four year schools.) 5 seniors to attend Illinois State University 3 seniors to attend Bradley University Approximately $500,000 in reported scholarships was awarded to seniors at Senior Awards Day. Students who participated in the Jostens Renaissance day came back with ideas of how to lead improvement projects around the high school. The students created their own committees to clean and paint the weight room, paint and add inspirational quotes to the high school commons area, create a Red Army wall for activity announcements, and asked to move the Back to School Bash to the first day of school to add excitement to the school year for ALL students. Board member Swearingen commented that the Baccalaureate ceremony had a very good speaker and the ceremony was well attended by graduates, families and community members. HS Upcoming Events Date Event Location & Time May 26 Graduation High School Gymnasium 7:00 p.m. Middle School Principal, Kyle Bielfeldt Enrollment 6th Grade - 76 7th Grade - 80 8th Grade - 69 Total: 225 students
Teacher Openings We will be hiring a new 8 th grade science teacher for the 2018-2019 school year. Mrs. Schwieter has resigned and will be moving to Milwaukee. Living Wax Museum Mrs. Allen s 6 th grade Language Arts Class held their annual Living Wax Museum Open House on May 10. Residents of Hollybrook as well as parents and relatives of the students came in to view the performances of the students. State Track Meet The 8 th grade boys track team won the state championship at the state track meet on May 11-12, 2018. They won with a final point total of 63. The following athletes placed in state Ty Harden, Noah Adkins, Connor Ray, Skyler Morano, (Martise Evans- alt)- 7th grade 4x100 relay - 4TH IN STATE Aidan Laughery - 8th grade 100m dash STATE CHAMPION Aidan Laughery - 8th grade 200m dash STATE CHAMPION STATE CLASS A RECORD 23.28 Awstace Grauer - 8th grade 400m dash 2ND IN STATE Awstace Grauer - 8th grade long jump 3RD IN STATE Aidan Laughery, Awstace Grauer, Jake Zumwalt, Wyatt Schlickman, (Austin Elliott- alt) - 8th grade 4x200m relay STATE CHAMPION Aidan Laughery, Awstace Grauer, Jake Zumwalt, Braylen Kean, (Wyatt Schlickman alt) - 8th grade 4x400m relay STATE CHAMPION Markus Miguel - 8th grade shot put 5TH IN STATE Markus Miguel - 8th grade discus 4TH IN STATE April Students of the Month: 6 th Grade Ryan Carley 7 th Grade Erin Stroh 8 th Grade Mary Holzhauer MS Upcoming Events Date Event Location & Time May 15 School Improvement Meeting Middle School May 23 8th Grade Promotion Middle School Gym 9:30 a.m.
Elementary Principal, Justin Kean Enrollment Early Childhood - 17 Pre K - 33 Kindergarten - 62 1st Grade - 84 2nd Grade - 64 3rd Grade - 71 4th Grade - 73 5th Grade - 67 Total: 471 students BUG (Being Unbelievably Good) Assembly was on May 11. The theme for the month of May was ALL Character areas. The 5th graders and Mr. Willis have done a wonderful job making the videos throughout the school year. Falcon Walk The PTA raised over $12,000 from the third annual Falcon Walk fundraiser. Mr. Kean and Mrs. Lindelof were duct taped to the field goal posts and Presley Montoya raised the most money for the fundraiser so she will have the cafeteria named after her for the next year. 67 students raised over $100 each so they were able to go to the park for an afternoon and enjoy playtime and ice cream. Additional Activities Open House was held on April 26 with over 80% of our students represented by parents, family members, and friends touring the building and classrooms. Science day was held on April 20. Students participated in science stations throughout the day. A special thanks to Erin Nuss, Cindy Petersen, Judy Rutledge and LeaAnn Seymour for planning the fun science day. The High School Agriculture department and Mrs. Knight hosted many of the elementary school students and teachers for the Agriculture day at the high school. Kids and staff all love attending this annual event. Parent s Night Out on April 27 raised $970 for the PE program with 60 students attended. Preschool screenings were held on May 3 and 4. There were many referrals for play based assessments and meetings will be held in the next week to determine whether students will be placed in ECE or PreK. The spring band concert was held on May 6 with the 5th grade band students improving on their music skills over the course of the year. School Improvement Day was held on May 10. Representatives throughout the ES building met to make goals, discuss needs and evaluate progress from the year. Prairie Fire Theatre performed a children s opera, Baobob on May 14th. The 4th quarter reading incentive was held on May 16.
ES Upcoming Events Date Event Location & Time May 22 Awards Assembly ES Gymnasium 1:30 p.m. Special Education Director, Jesse McFarling Director McFarling reported that the current fund balance for the end of April is approximately $367,000. The FCSEC is wrapping up IEP annual reviews and preparing for the next Co-op board meeting which is scheduled for May 24, 2018. Curriculum Director, Erin Nuss Mrs. Nuss provided a brief overview of the April CCC meeting at which teachers presented to the committee on Guided Math as an instructional model and PTA Board members led a discussion of the PTA's role in all buildings. Mrs. Nuss explained that all mandated testing is completed in all buildings. SAT scores for the class of 2019 were recently returned and GCMS has a lot to celebrate. The students performed very well which is a credit to our academic system from pre-k through 12. Mrs. Nuss also shared the major highlights of compiled results from the 2018 Survey of Parents and Families. Superintendent s Report Annual Air and Water Quality Testing Superintendent Darnell reported there were no findings from the air and water quality testing done in all three buildings.gcms started this testing of air and water quality six month prior to the State of Illinois began to require it. Motion to approve the cooperative agreements with Fisher School District for High School Soccer, Wrestling, and Middle School Wrestling as presented. Motion was made by board member Young and seconded by board member Whitehouse. Motion carried by roll call with all members present voting yes. Annual Crisis Team Meeting - completed The annual crisis team met in May and established no major changes were needed for the district crisis plan.
Elementary Electrical Project Update Contractors, workers and equipment will begin to show up onsite to begin work on the summer electrical project beginning on May 25. An update meeting will be held on May 29, 2018. Work completion should be around the third week of July. A motion to adjourn the second executive session was made by board member Leonard and seconded by board member Whitehouse at 7:32 p.m. Motion carried by voice vote, with all members present voting yes. Board President Josh Johnson Board Secretary Lori Kristensen